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Women’s right to vote
Women gain the ability to vote in federal elections in 1916 in the provinces Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Then following up in 1918, Ontario allow women to vote and although most women were granted the right to vote indigenous women and women of colour still had struggles when the time came, such as indigenous women could only vote if they’ve given up their status and treaty rights. The last province to give women the right to vote was Quebec all the way in 1940 -
Persons Case
Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney, Irene Parlby and, Henrietta Edwards played a major role in the persons case when the Supreme Court denied women as "persons" in section 24 of the BNA Act. In response they went to the judicial Committee of the Privy Council of Great Britain where Lord Sankey and Lord Chancellor of Great Britain declared that “persons” include women under the Canadian law. This allowed women the possibility to be elected for Canadian senate. -
Indian Act Revisions of 1951
After World War Two, a revisal of the Indian Act took place without the knowledge of the First Nations people which they opposed of. Although they broke tradition the Canadian Government and the First Nations through the Joint Committee then discussed the revision of the Indian Act. Egregious limitations that were under the Indian Act like religion, cultural and more were removed. -
Indigenous Canadians' Voting Right
In January of 1960 the First Nations are given the ability to vote in Saskatchewan for provincial elections. -
Canadian Bill of Rights
A federal bill made to protect individuals human rights and fundamental freedoms in Canada. This bill protected religion, equality and more and placed these rights and freedoms before the law. It does not fall under constitutional law but rather federal law so it’s limited. -
Human Rights Code
This code was enacted to protect individual groups from discrimination and hate speech. It was prohibited to discriminate against people based solely on race, gender, religion and other protected grounds. Social areas were also included under the code such as Employment, goods and services and more. The code was important for the development of equality. -
Immigration Act of 1967
An introduction to a point system to pick whether an immigrant was eligible or not. This was picked through if they were multilingual; spoke English or French, their education, their work skills and more. This allowed the diversity that Canada is known for today as they were not picked by ethnic backgrounds or their nationality but for more important reasons. -
Royal Commission on the Status of Women
This was a pivotal step for Canada in ensuring gender equality for women. The Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada was founded to promote gender equality and talk about what can be done so women gain equity in Canadian society. When tabled in parliament, they had a total of 167 recommendations for the legislative system within 8 groups. -
Canadian Official Languages Act
The Official Language Act was passed to confirm the bilingualism within Canada. It requires institutions under federal control must provide English or French services. It claims French and English as its official languages for the French-Canadians in Canada. -
Canadian Human Rights Act
The Canadian Human Rights Act prohibited any discrimination based on race, religion and ethnic background, marital status and more. This was for employers under the federal government, First Nations and private companies that were federally owned. The outcome of the Act created the Canadian Human Rights Commission which was a way to promote human rights. -
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms helps protect individuals human rights and fundamental freedoms. It was created to show that equality has superiority over law, it is applied no matter the level of government. It holds high importance to Canada as it is a cherished legal document that has changed human rights law to what it is now. -
Big M Drug Mart Case
Big M Drug Mart was wrongfully charged with selling on sunday which violated the Lords Day Act. The Lord Day Act requires individuals to close on Sundays for religious reasons. The court found the act invalid due to it rooting from religious and goes against freedom of religion. This case was really important for freedom of religion in Canada. -
R v Oakes
R. v. Oakes centres around the Oakes Test that determines if the Charter rights limitations are valid or not within democracy and free country. The Oakes test is used to determine whether the government can make limitations to the Charter rights. This is continuously used in recent times. -
Abortion Rights
The outcome of the R. v. Morgentaler resulted in the court deeming that the law on abortions violated women’s rights. Dr. Henry Morgentaler performed abortions through unauthorized means, he argued against the court that this violated women’s rights and was effective in the end. This led to legal rights to abortions for women in Canada. -
Canadian Employment Equity Act
The Canadian Employment Equity Act promotes equality when hiring so that individuals cannot be denied employment without reasonable grounds relating to the work. This was aimed towards ensuring women, First Nations people and disabled persons were not subject to discrimination in work settings. This was significant for diversity in Canada as result in having inclusive work environments. -
Delgamuukw v. British Columbia
This case was significant for the relationship between the First Nations people and the Canadian government. The Dekgamuukw v. British Columbia case ensured First Nations citizens had legal rights of land ownership in Canada. It is one of few cases that holds precedent for Indigenous land rights. -
Vriend v. Alberta
Vriend v. Alberta was a case in which Delwin Vriend was fired due to sexual orientation and made a case against the government of Alberta for the reason of sexual orientation not being included as a protected ground within the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This then was changed for equality under the Charter. This held an important role in LGBTQ+ rights in Canada. -
R. v. Marshall
The R. v. Marshall Casewas significant as it ensured First Nations right to hunt, fish and more. Donald Marshall was charged due to his fishing being illegal as he did not have a lisence so he made a case that resulted in the Supreme Court ensuring Indigenous fishing rights under the treaties. This gave the First Nations rights for natural resources. -
Same Sex Marriage
Canada was the fourth country globally to have same-sex marriage as they legalized it through the Civil Marriage Act. They understood that LGBTQ+ Canadians should have marriage equality as under their legal rights. This holds significance for the LGBTQ+ Canadians community as it was a milestone for their rights. -
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Truth and Reconciliation Commission
This commission was founded for the purpose of addressing the unlawful conduct of residential schools in Canada. Its main goal was to take responsibility for the children victim to residential schools and to seek reconciliation with the First Nations people. This was a significant event advocating for justice of the First Nations community.